LAHORE: Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz on Tuesday sent a Rs5 billion defamation notice to Minister for Overseas Pakistanis Chaudhry Salik Hussain for levelling allegations of corruption against her government and demanded that he retract his remarks.
During a private television channel talk show on Monday, the Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) leader lavished praise on former Punjab chief minister Chaudhry Pervez Elahi.
However, he also took a swipe at the present provincial administration, alleging that political considerations were increasingly shaping development priorities and influencing the allocation of public funds. He said he regularly heard complaints of corruption in Punjab, alleging that a disproportionate share of the province’s development budget was being channelled towards Lahore.
Addressing a ceremony in Attock on Tuesday, CM Maryam said: “There is a federal minister … somebody sent me his statement about corruption in Punjab. Today, I am sending him a defamation notice.”
She said that she would not hear “false allegations of corruption”.
“If you have evidence, bring it forth — otherwise I will drag you to court,” she said. She also asked him why he remained a minister in a government that he considered corrupt.
The chief minister went on to say that the reason behind the anger of the PML-Q leader was neither a matter of corruption nor progress. The issue, she said, was that she changed the deputy commissioner (DC) of Gujrat a few days ago whereas Salik had wanted a DC of his choice to be appointed.
“I will not allow anyone to interfere in the will of the people,” she said.
Maryam also took exception to Salik’s comments calling Elahi the “best-ever chief minister” in Punjab.
“The Gujrat that Pervez Elahi handed me — I went there about two years ago and it was raining. Believe me … the water was up to here,” she said, gesturing to her neck.
“My Land Cruiser was completely submerged,” she said.
“It looked less like Gujrat and more like a village … now, go and look at Gujrat. Now, when it rains, the rainwater doesn’t accumulate. That work was not done by the Chaudhrys,” she said.
Subsequently, the PML-N posted on X that a defamation notice had been sent to Salik, ARY News host Naeem Ashraf Butt and the channel’s chairman, Muhammad Iqbal.
The notice said that the office of chief minister carried “substantial” public responsibility and required “the highest degree of integrity, credibility and public confidence”, which made any allegations of dishonesty or corruption — disseminated to “millions of viewers” via electronic or digital media — a serious matter.
It said that during the interview, Butt had “introduced and led the discussion” regarding alleged corruption in Punjab, while Salik “proceeded to make sweeping and baseless allegations against the provincial administration”.
“The manner in which the subject was introduced and pursued was not a neutral request for clarification of any identified incident, investigation or documented complaint,” the notice said.
“Rather, it provided a platform for the propagation of serious allegations without first identifying any verifiable material or establishing their factual foundation,” it added.
The notice said the minister’s remarks were not just an expression of disagreement with policy or “ordinary political criticism”, but conveyed “serious imputations” of widespread corruption in the province.
“The most alarming aspect of the aforesaid statements is the express admission that he possesses no evidence to substantiate the allegations,” it added.
It stated that the chief minister considered the conduct of all three individuals named in the notice “serious and unacceptable”: Salik for his “false statements”, Butt for his editorial conduct and Muhammad Iqbal for facilitating and broadcasting the allegations.
The notice called on them to retract the remarks, publish an “unconditional and unequivocal apology and clarification” and “remove or suitably correct” the portions of the interview in question.
It also demanded a sum of Rs5bn in damages. The notice gave a period of seven days for these actions and warned that failure to comply would lead to legal proceedings.
‘I responded honestly’
Speaking to the media in the wake of CM Maryam’s comments, Salik said he was sticking to his statement. In remarks aired by Geo News, he said: “God save us from pride and arrogance”.
Asked about providing evidence for the corruption allegations, he said: “Please go and listen to the interview again.”
He also refuted the claim that the row had to do with distracting from the matter of new provinces.
“It was an interview, someone asked a question and I responded honestly,” he said.
“Yes, there definitely is [corruption],” he added.
Responding to the remarks, CM Maryam said: “So, levelling false accusations is considered humility, while offering a response is deemed arrogance? Bravo!”
During his interview, Salik had also questioned lavish government spending, particularly the use of official aircraft, arguing that public representatives should remain mindful of the country’s economic difficulties. Officials using government aircraft, he said, should be required to demonstrate the tangible outcomes and public benefits of their trips.
He further called for greater ministerial accountability, proposing that the federal as well as provincial ministers should be empowered to perform their duties, but also be held answerable for their performance.
His comments had also prompted a sharp rebuttal from Punjab Information Minister Azma Bokhari, who advised the PML-Q leader not to “bite the hand that feeds him”.
Bokhari had also alleged that his displeasure stemmed from a request for appointment of a DC of his choice being turned down.
The remarks carry particular political significance given the fractured relationship between the Chaudhry family and the PTI leadership. Salik, the younger son of PML-Q president Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, belongs to a family whose political loyalties have diverged sharply since the ouster of Imran Khan’s government in 2022 through a no-confidence vote.
While Elahi and his son, former federal minister Moonis Elahi, aligned themselves with the PTI, the Shujaat family chose to stand with the Sharifs. Salik’s elder brother, Shafay Hussain, is also part of CM Maryam’s cabinet in Punjab.
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